President Buhari declares to contest 2019 Predidency election
President Muhammadu Buhari has made the long-expected announcement that he will seek a new 4-year presidential term at elections next year.
The president made the disclosure at the APC NEC meeting in Abuja. The Kaduna state governor Mallam El Rufai, in jubilation went to twitter to also make the announcement.
What Buhari said today
“I want to specifically thank members of the technical committee for a job well done within a limited time frame. It shows the essence of commitment and the ideals of our party with a view to consolidating the party to continue to provide good governance in the overall interest of Nigerians.
“The general interest of the party and based in the report submitted by the technical committee, it is important to focus on how to move the party forward by avoiding actions detrimental to the interest of the party.
“Considering that politics is a game of numbers, we must not be a house divided against itself and must try to appreciate and accommodate our differences as far as the law permits.
“Having seen the report, my position is to ensure that the party tows the part of unity, legality, cohesion and not that of division. Therefore, I am stressing that we strengthen our internal democracy by organizing party congresses and convention where election of national executive committee members will be held. This will automatically end the cases filed by members seeking orders of court compiling the party to hold its congresses.
“I also believe that the current executives should be free to run for elective position in the party if they so wish and permitted by our party constitution.
“However, considering the provision of Articlr 30 Section 1 and Subsection 3 of our party constitution which requires any serving officer desirous seeking re-election to resign from office 30 days before the election, I’m not sure of the practicality of the present servings officers ability to meet this condition.
“Accordingly, the party may consider granting waivers to party executives at all levels so that they are not disenfranchised in participating in the elections provided this does not violate our rights or our rules.
“Necessary waivers should also be extended to executives at the ward level whose tenures May have elapsed and indeed to anyone knocking on our doors from other parties.
“This gives credence to the right to freedom of association guaranteed by the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria as amended. In this circumstance, the party should issue a statement on the above waivers so that our house maybe full. We all must not be ignorant of the tomes and the journey that is ahead of us.
“Just like our party symbols the broom, we stand by strength in unity. Let us try to be united in party, victory is sure by the grace of God. And together, we must continue to to sanitize Nigeria’s Political environment.
“I welcome you to this meeting with the hope that in our deliberations, we will conduct ourselves without rancour, and promote the highest interest of our party and the nation, he concluded.
President Muhammadu Buhari told members of his party before he was first elected that he would only seek one term, implying he did not intend at that time to run in 2019, said Aisha Alhassan, minister of women’s affairs last year.
The issue has heightened uncertainty over whether Buhari plans to contest the next election. President Buhari took power in 2015 but was absent for much of 2017 due to illness.
Like his predecessor, Buhari also faces questions over his handling of security problems as election draws near.